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Harford County mechanic from Parkville found guilty of theft scheme

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown this week announced week that Kenneth Wayne Collins III, 35, of Parkville, was found guilty of one count of theft scheme.

Collins was employed at a Bel Air car dealership from January 8, 2018 to November 6, 2018. He used information obtained in connection with his employment as a service technician to file over 260 fraudulent claims for fake mechanical repairs under vehicle service contracts issued by three insurance companies: Zurich NA, Ally, and Fidelity. In all, Collins pocketed more than $223,000 in connection with his scheme, which continued from January 12, 2018 to May 29, 2019.

On October 2, 2023, Collins pleaded guilty to one count of theft scheme involving property valued at $100,000 or more. Harford County Circuit Court Judge Diane Adkins-Tobin accepted the guilty plea. Collins is scheduled to be sentenced later this year. Under the plea agreement, Collins faces a maximum sentence of five years of incarceration. He will have to pay restitution as a condition of probation.

In an unrelated 2019 case, Collins pleaded guilty to insurance fraud in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City and was granted probation before judgment. He was ordered to pay $10,272 in restitution, part of which he paid with the money that he stole in the Harford County theft scheme.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

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